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Phnom Baheng temple
This is a mountain style temple popular for its views of Angkor Wat Well I have just spent four days in Siem Reap and I think I have seen enough temples to last me for a while! It took just over 6 hours to get there from Phnom Penh on a comfortable air conditioned bus through rural villages and countryside and thankfully a tuk tuk driver from the hotel, holding my name up on a piece of paper, at the bus terminus, was there to meet me! On arrival at my booked hotel, I was told that I would be staying for one night in a neighbouring hotel, because a wedding celebration was taking place and it would be too noisy. I just had time to drop off my case before being taken by my tuk tuk driver to purchase my three day temple pass and then off to climb up to see Phnom Baheng temple, which is famous for its sunsets overlooking Angkor Wat.
The temples were truly spectatular and overwhelming and not until you have actually been there, can you really appreciate their individual size, the skill and labour that went into their construction, the magnificent stone carvings done by hand and the sheer enormity of the whole site. I won't
Angkor Wat
Looking across at this great temple as daylight begins to fade mention them one by one because already some of them have merged together in my mind but in the main, they were built in the 11th and 12th centuries by the kings of the period, mainly as hindu temples to the gods such as Vishnu and Shiva etc or buddhist temples or sometimes a fusion of the two. Architecturally they are divided into nine periods, ranging from the central tower mounted on a tiered base with a sanctuary at the summit to this central tower being crowned with five peaks, as at Angkor Wat itself. Other features, to name but a few, were the addition of courtyards, corridors and galleries flanking the central summit, as well as an entry tower and a causeway lined with mythical serpents (naga).
Now they are generally in need of major renovation, as they have suffered over the years as a result of age, weather, neglect, war, tourists and nature itself encroaching on the buildings. Many of them are undergoing significant restoration work with the financial help from countries, such as the USA, Germany, Japan, India and the World Monuments Fund to name but a few. On reflection I think my two favourite ones
were Angkor Wat itself and it was well worth getting up at 4.15am to see the sunrise and Bayon with the 216 intricately carved cold smiling faces. As you walk around at least a dozen or more of these faces, either full face or in profile are visible at any one time staring from all levels and directions!
Besides visiting temples, I wandered around Siem Reap, which was a lively town even out of season, with numerous restaurants, bars, markets, shops selling locally made craft products and establishments offering massages, manicures and pedicures etc as well as 'Mr Fish' stalls, whereby if you sat with your feet in a large tank, the fish would nibble away at the dead skin! By the way I chose not to do this! In order to revive my aching feet though from all the walking and climbing up temples, I did have a foot scrub and foot massage from a young lad, who only looked about sixteen but it took an hour and was very relaxing! I also visited a really interesting artisans centre, where many disabled people, as well as some able bodied, have been trained in traditional Khmer crafts. These ranged
Angkor Wat
Looking across the lake waiting for the sun to appear from behind the clouds from silk fabric painting, lacquer work, wood and stone carving, using both sandstone and soapstone and making products out of brass covered with silver plating.
Two other things I did while in Siem Reap, which are worth mentioning, was to listen to a free cello concert by a famous Swiss paediatrician, Dr Beat Richter (otherwise known as Beatocello), who has devoted much of his life to opening childrens' hospitals in both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, for the free treatment of any children in Cambodia. The hospitals are chiefly financed through private donations from individuals especially from Switzerland. Not only did he play his cello but he talked about his work and showed a film.
Secondly I went to visit the landmine museum, which was a further insight into the troubled past that has plagued Cambodia in recent years. The museum was opened by a Cambodian, who himself was a brainwashed child soldier in the Khmer Rouge. Since the conflict he has devoted his life to detonating thousands of mines, raising awareness of the devastation caused by land mines and creating an on-site orphanage for children, many of whom have lost limbs as a result of discovering unexploded
mines.
Well that is all on Siem Reap and the next instalment will be about my stay in Battambang, a town to the west and apparently containing some of Cambodia's best-preserved colonial French architecture.
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Chris
non-member comment
Saturday
Dear J It looks as if you are having a really interesting time now,and making the most of your last couple of weeks in Cambodia. I look forward to hearing all your traveller's tales when you get home. Love from Chris